40 Questions – November Playwright

Date posted: July 21, 2021

We are going to announce our new season soon. To pique your interest we’ve asked the playwrights to complete our 40 Questions quiz (it’s a cross between the Proust questionnaire and your high school yearbook). Enjoy.

Where were you born?

Port Morant, Jamaica

What did / do your parents do?

Father – house builder/factory worker; Mother – nurse

Siblings?

Two sisters; three brothers

Where do you live now?

Tkaronto, Treaty 13

Do you speak a second language? What?

Some French

Favourite colour?

Don’t’ have one

Favourite book?

Anne of Green Gables

Favourite movie?

When Harry Met Sally

Favourite piece of clothing?

Straw hat I bought in Cape Town

Favourite Quote?

Violet: This old thing? I only wear it when I don’t care how I look. – It’s a Wonderful Life

Favourite food?

Mango

Favourite dish to make?

Soup made with vegetables that are about to go bad. Unexpected combinations that turn out pretty well most of the time.

Favourite word?

Hmmmm

Favourite piece of music?

can’t choose just one.

Favourite character (real or fictional)?

Anne Shirley

Dream car?

self-driving

Current car?

Transit pass

What do you do after a show?

Hang out in the green room or a restaurant to talk about the show and anything else that comes to mind.

What do you do in your downtime?

Crossword puzzles, knit, read, watch TV.

First paid acting gig?

One line on the CBC sitcom ‘Hangin’ In.’

First acting gig?

The Fairy Godrobot in Space Cinderella. Grade 4, Alexander Muir Public School

Your most terrifying backstage incident?

I was about to make an entrance in The Miracle Worker (Grand Theatre – 1994) and felt like someone was watching me. At the very las second, I realized that it was the Helen baby doll in its crib. I never understood the creepiness of dolls until that moment.

Your most terrifying onstage incident?

I was in an all-female Julius Caesar in a storefront theatre. During a battle scene, I had to charge across the stage. Because of a quirk in the lighting, There was a full 2 or 3 seconds where I could see absolutely nothing and just had to trust that I wasn’t going to fall off the stage or bump into anything. The audience saw real fear in my eyes.

How many miles do you log a year?

No idea. I’m not a numbers girl.

Strangest job you’ve ever had?

North American marketing manager for a software company. I’d started off as a temp on the reception desk. They said that they’d work around my acting career. But, now that I think of it, I realize that they thought that I would give up on that silly dream once I’d settled into steady employment.

If I wasn’t an actor (designer / director / playwright) I would be?

Working in an office most likely.

Best advice someone has given you?

Writing is a practice. Do it every day without thinking about the end product.
– Natalie Goldberg (Walking in Memory workshop, 1997)

Best meal ever?

Thai Hot and sour soup in a hotel restaurant in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Best show you’ve seen?

Ruined by Lynn Nottage – Manhattan Theater Club.

Best concert you’ve attended?

Tuck and Patti – Harbourfront Centre, Toronto (free!)

Most inspiring person you know?

My mother

Pet Peeve(s)?

Dictionaries changing the meanings/spellings of words because too many people get it wrong (ie “literally”).

Five people (real or fictional / dead or alive) that you would invite to a dinner party? Why?

I take questions like this too literally. If I was at one table with the five people I admired most, I’d probably shut down and try not to spill food on myself. I mean, really, Idris Elba would flash that smile of his and I’d turn into an idiot.

Celebrity Crush?

See above

What are you most proud of?

I’m really proud of not giving up on this industry especially when I endured years of inactivity. I feel really settled into it now. I guess I wasn’t ready before. I’m so glad that there isn’t an age limit.

The quality you most like in a man?

Integrity

The quality you most like in a woman?

Integrity

Your greatest fear?

Someone using my greatest fear against me.

When do you lie?

To spare someone’s feelings. (But I really try not to lie.)

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Nice place to live, good people around me, no debt.